Cafe Lago

Serving Tuscan-inspired Italian cuisine in Seattle's Montlake neighborhood for nearly 30 years. Stea
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Café Lago is an artisanal Italian restaurant located in the Montlake neighborhood of Seattle - near the University of Washington. Café Lago has been preparing homemade dough by morning and baking its pizza over apple wood fires by night for more than 25 years. To portray even more passion for the industry, Café Lago hosts a series of classes on various aspects of Italian food and culture called Doposcuola.

06/01/2026

Sunny spring weekends call for a toast. Our Spagliato Bianco is one of the quieter standouts on the cocktail menu. Inspired by the ruby-hued Negroni Sbagliato, our version combines Suze, Cocchi Americano, and Prosecco. The formula may be just as simple, but the flavor is entirely its own: bright, citrusy, and, in our opinion, even more refreshing. 🍊

05/27/2026

Our longest-running dishes are almost always rooted in family recipes, and this antipasto is no exception. Passed down from Aunt Paulie of Watkins Glen, NY by way of Calabria, IT, our bruschetta with meatballs is a reflection of simple, comforting Italian home cooking.

With just a handful of ingredients — meatballs, tomato sauce, Parmigiano Reggiano, and bruschetta — the dish is simple in design but big on flavor. It has remained on our menu since the earliest days of Lago, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

05/24/2026

Red, white, or rosé? Cheers to the long weekend 🥂

05/21/2026

Thank you to all who joined Chef Lauren at Bella Luna Farms for her Lago Lasagne class last month! Chef led the class through each step of our lasagne process, from pasta handling to baking and everything between. Everyone left with a full belly and recipes to try at home. If you missed this class, stay tuned!

05/17/2026

A seasonal pizza worth savoring: the Funghi. Earthy, umami, and aromatic, our Funghi pizza features a unique base of roasted and minced oyster mushrooms, thyme, and olive oil. We finish it with more oyster mushrooms and thyme, smoked pork loin, and a dash of lemon oil. It’s a standout dish on our current menu, and unlike any pizza we’ve offered before. Stop by soon before it’s gone 🍄‍🟫

05/14/2026

Gelato season is fast approaching, and our Turkish Coffee flavor has quickly become a favorite of the team. Rich, lightly bitter, and balanced with just the right amount of sweetness, it’s especially well suited to the warmer evenings soon to come.

Lemon shortbread cookie, chocolate, and vanilla are also available, alongside a rotating selection of sorbet. All gelato and sorbet is made by the good people at Nutty Squirrel in Magnolia

05/12/2026

Is there anything better than a crisp salad on a warm spring day? Our seasonal Insalata Mista is served with little gem, bibb, and frisee lettuces, various chicories, and a tangy allium-based vinaigrette. Refreshing? Absolutely 🥬

05/11/2026

Applewood logs are already burning in our oven in preparation for Pizza Monday. While cooking may lean toward art and baking toward science, pizza demands a careful balance of both.

Long before the first pizzas hits the hearth, our oven begins its slow climb to temperature, requiring several hours to reach the 750 degrees we rely on for service. From there, timing, fermentation, fresh ingredients, and instinct all begin working together, one pizza at a time. See you tonight 🍕

05/07/2026

Our daily ravioli prep is a lesson in patience and technique. From mixing the dough by hand to shaping and cutting each raviolo, the process takes nearly four hours and demands consistent focus throughout.

Because of that, one member of our kitchen team is dedicated entirely to ravioli production. Day after day, their process is repeated and refined, ensuring consistent flavor and texture. Even the most minute variables like dough hydration, resting time, and filling temperature can dramatically affect the final texture once the pasta hits boiling water. It’s part art form, part science.

Handmade ravioli has been part of our kitchen since we first opened more than 35 years ago. While every pasta on our menu is made in house, ravioli remains one of the most technically demanding. Our fillings and sauces shift constantly with the seasons, following whatever ingredients are at their best at the moment.

Which also means this current version will not be around forever! Stop by soon as we begin to shift further into our spring menu.

05/04/2026

It is Pizza Monday once again! Stop by for $15 pizzas, every Monday 🍕

Address

2305 24th Avenue E
Seattle, WA
98112

Telephone

+12063298005

Website

http://www.cafelago.com/

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